A delegation of the state’s Catholic bishops emerged from a meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo cheered by imminent developments on the economic justice front, but concerned by the governor’s push to enact legislation similar to the Reproductive Health Act.

Following the delegation’s audience, Brooklyn’s Nicholas DiMarzio, Albany’s Howard Hubbard and Long Island’s William Murphy took questions from the media.

Hubbard said any discussion of the reproductive rights plank in the governor’s proposed 10-point Women’s Equality Agenda was hindered by the fact that Cuomo’s proposals haven’t been put down in legislative language.

“Obviously he’s working on his bill — and it’s very difficult to comment specifically on a bill that hasn’t been proposed,” said Hubbard, who noted that practically every other issue in the Women’s Equality Agenda would earn the support of the bishops.

Instead, pro-life advocates — and pro-choice voices — are thrown back on debating the Reproductive Health Act, which has been knocking around the Legislature since Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed it. “That’s the only thing we’ve had to react to,” Hubbard said.

But in general, “I would say the majority of the issues that we discussed are issues where we had full accord,” he said. “Part of the problem, of course, is that while we were in agreement on policy, sometimes the funding isn’t always able to support the policies.”

The bishops said that with that caveat, they and the governor were on the same page on housing, health care and care for the poor.

“We spoke about gun control, and we are also behind him on that,” said DiMarzio. “We believe that we’ve got to make our streets safer, and our homes safer by eliminating … weapons that don’t belong in anyone’s hands except the Army.”

Speaking generally on the church’s role in party politics, the bishops emphasized that Catholic teaching often flows into policies that divide Democrats and Republicans: The bishops might back generally Republican stances in opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, but Hubbard noted that the GOP is only now discussing moving towards a more compassionate brand of immigration reform.

“Obviously the church has a teaching on abortion and same-sex marriage, and anything that’s contrary to that teaching is something that we’re not tremendously happy about,” said Hubbard. “But we have the responsibility to proclaim the gospel as we understand it, and to advocate for what we think is for the general good of the public.”

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